Overview work for children on the Japanese American experience produced by the Japanese American Curriculum Project (JACP) in 1985. Consisting of a historical overview, eleven biographies of notable Japanese Americans, and three short stories,
Japanese American Journey
was adapted from a 1970 JACP publication titled
Japanese Americans: The Untold Story
.

Intended for students in grades 5 to 8,
Japanese American Journey
was authored by a group of San Francisco Bay Area writers and educators that included Takako Endo, Florence M. Hongo, Sadao Kinoshita, Katherine Reyes, Donald Y. Sekimura, Rosie Shimonishi, and Shizue Yoshina. The historical overview sections includes six chapters and starts with the World War II incarceration and Nisei military service, before going back to cover immigration, the anti-Japanese movement, the prewar community, and the postwar years. Eleven short biographies follow, on Joseph Heco, Kanaye Nagasawa,
Kyutaro Abiko
, George Shima, Keisaburo Koda,
Kiyoshi Hirasaki
, Yoshimi Shibata,
Mike Masaoka
,
Daniel K. Inouye
,
Yoshiko Uchida
, and
Edison Uno
. A final section includes the short stories "Uncle Kanda's Black Cat" by Yoshiko Uchida, "One Happy Family" by
Toshio Mori
, and "Gambatte" by Valerie Pang. A glossary, references and author profiles follow. The historical overview section runs 67 pages, the biographies 80 pages, and the short stories 22 pages. The book is dedicated to activist Edison Uno, one of the authors of
The Untold Story
.

Japanese American Journey
derived from an earlier JACP work titled
Japanese Americans: The Untold Story
, published in 1971 by Holt, Rinehard and Winston. Inspired by the lack of curricular materials that presented Japanese Americans in a non-stereotypical fashion, JACP set out to correct "existing omissions and gross distortions in the story of Japanese Americans in present curriculum materials" in its own publications. However
The Untold Story
received an unexpectedly rocky reception from Japanese Americans when published. In particular, the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) called the book "racist" and "anti-Buddhist," calling it "a gross misrepresentation of the true picture of the lives of Japanese Americans." Among other things, the BCA pointed out that all seven of the biographies featured in the book were of Christian men. The book also received criticism for derogatory statements about Chinese Americans. Eventually, the State of California Curriculum Commission rejected the book, and the
Japanese American Citizens League
also went on record opposing the book.
[1]

In response,
Japanese American Journey
featured a rewritten historical overview and a somewhat more diverse selection of biographies (though only one of the eleven is a woman). Reviewing it for the
Pacific Citizen
, June Kizu called it "an informative, sensitive and relevant book" that was "written in a clear, straightforward style." However Raymond Okamura, while acknowledging that the claim of religious and ethnic bias had been addressed, criticized the book for its "model minority" framework and use of euphemistic language.
[2]

Relative to other overview works,
Japanese American Journey
presents a largely accurate history. Among the minor errors: calling Secretary of War
Henry L. Stimson
the "Secretary of Defense" (page 7) and calling Hawai'i "not a state but a territory of the United States" at the time Japanese immigration began (22; it was at that time an independent monarchy). In describing the concentration camp experience it makes some over general statements, that barracks had "only a coal stove for heat" (10; depending on the camp, some were heated by oil or wood) and that ""Twelve barracks ... made up a block" (12; the number of barracks in a block varied from camp to camp).

Learn more in the Densho Encyclopedia, a free on-line resource covering the key concepts, people, events, and organizations that played a role in the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.

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Learn more in the Densho Encyclopedia, a free on-line resource covering the key concepts, people, events, and organizations that played a role in the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.

This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

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The Resource Guide to Media on the Japanese American Removal and Incarceration is a free project of Densho. Our mission is to preserve the testimonies of Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War II before their memories are extinguished. We offer these irreplaceable firsthand accounts, coupled with historical images and teacher resources, to explore principles of democracy, and promote equal justice for all.